Among the many light bomber designs of Soviet pre-war aviation was the stressed skin Tupolev SB-2,the first such aircraft made in the USSR. First flown as early as 1934, it served with distinction in the Spanish Civil War where its speed rendered it immune to most enemy fighters, it was also used extensively by the Nationalist Chinese forces during the war against Japan and later by the USSR itself during the border incidents with Japan as well as the Winter War with Finland. It was during this last conflict where the SB-2 proved its obsolescence in the face of modern fighters which inflicted a heavy toll on their numbers especially after the German invasion. Nevertheless, the SB-2 was constantly improved and continued to serve during the remainder of the war in secondary roles or as a night bomber and was also used by Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and Spain with captured examples by Finland and Germany.

The prototype ANT-40 was first flew with Wright Cyclone engines on 7 October 1934 and was later re-designated SB-1. Production versions were known as the SB-2 and incorporated VK-100 inline engines which were copies of the Hispano-Suiza 12Y. This was followed by the SB-2bis which had a different M-103 power-plant as well as increased fuel capacity. Other variants included the PS-40 and PS-41 civil transports, the SB-3 trainer, the ANT-41 dive bomber and the ANT-46 heavy fighter.